Geneva, July 12: A Swiss expert has estimated that the first swine flu vaccine will likely be ready for use in October – but only after a first large-scale wave of infection hit various regions, a newspaper reported Saturday.
In an interview with Le Temps, Claire-Anne Siegrist, the head of the Swiss federal government’s commission for vaccinations, also said that while the overwhelming majority of cases were mild and did not require hospitalization, the infection rate was faster than had previously been thought.
“The rate of infection has impressed everyone,” Siegrist said, noting that even in the southern United States, where the summer weather was expected to stem the spread, more cases were being reported.
Siegrist added that an October release date for a vaccine “will not be too late” but it will be after a large wave of pandemic influenza would hit.
British officials have said they expect the virus to peak in August, with 100,000 new cases a day in their country.
The new A(H1N1) virus, as it is technically known, is in some regions taking over as the primary influenza from seasonal flu.
In some southern hemisphere countries the majority of flu cases medics were seeing were H1N1 and not the seasonal brand, according to the WHO.
One significant difference was that seasonal flu disproportionately had a harsher impact on the elderly, while with swine flu, youth and young adults under 40 years-old were more likely to be the targets of the virus.
Though no vaccine is yet ready, some developed countries have placed advanced orders for doses with manufacturers who have started working on production. The United States, for example, would likely embark on a large-scale vaccine campaign once doses were ready.
The WHO convened a group of vaccine experts for talks on Tuesday and is expected to make public their recommendations on treatment and production next week.
Except for three reported cases, swine flu has responded to anti-viral drugs, and there are doses for children and pregnant women, the latter considered a vulnerable group by WHO, like all people with underlying conditions.
–Agencies